Rockette

Brad Womack returned for his second stint on “The Bachelor” Monday night and declared himself “a much better man.”

Three years after dissing Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas and establishing himself as one of the top reality TV villains of all time, Brad said he has changed for the better. It took many, many sessions with a therapist for him to realize what most of America already knew: He was a commitment-phobic “jerk.”

Of course, the producers poured it on — with laborious, contemplative scenes in which Brad told of his troubles (“I had panic attacks” … “I was a broken man”) and his daddy issues. It was a little much — even for this show, and it was difficult not to suppress snickers — especially when the screen was filled with shots of a buffed-up shirtless Brad. (Apparently, the weight room is a good place to work out all your problems).

Anyway, host Chris Harrison eventually brought out Jenni and DeAnna for an awkward reunion. Sadly, there was no loud swearing. No punches were thrown. But the women did express some skepticism over whether Brad can redeem himself with a new set of bachelorettes.

When the contestants finally do arrive at the mansion, they’re a feisty bunch. One — Shantal — slaps him in the face for “the women of America.” (Brad: “I deserved that.”). Another (Keltie) claims to be a Rockette and emerges from the limo doing ultra high leg kicks in a very short dress. Yikes. There’s also a funeral director (Shawntel), a manscaper (Raichel), and — get this — a vampire (Madison). At least she gets off on pretending to be a vampire, with fangs and everything. Very creepy.

Brad takes some time to get to know them all, with the women –as usual — playing catty games as they vie for his attention. When Brad finally hands out the roses, we’re stunned to see that Madison the vampire gets one. Coming soon: A “Bachelor” version of “True Blood.”

So what did you think? Do you really believe Brad is a changed man? Are you in for the long haul — or do you plan to bail out, post-haste?